Stem Cell Research: The Hope, the Reality & the Future

At a Churchill Club event on July 13, entitled "Stem Cell Research: The Hope, the Reality & the Future," Silicon Valley VCs, a biopharmaceutical executive and a pioneering stem cell scientist discussed the controversial topic. With the passage of Proposition 71 in November, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has been tapped to distribute nearly $300 million annually in stem cell funds for 10 years to California universities and research institutions. Moderator Sam Colella, managing director of Versant Ventures and Chair of Stanford's Bio-X-BioEngineering Advisory Board, hosted the panelists, including:

Brook Byers, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Board Member Stanford's Bio-X-BioEngineering Advisory Board

Michael Goldberg, General Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures; Board Member, California Institute of Regenerative Medicine

Thomas B. Okarma, Ph.D., M.D., President & Chief Executive Officer, Geron, Inc.

Irving L. Weissman, M.D., Director, Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine; Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center; Director, Program in Regenerative Medicine; Professor of Pathology and Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine

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